Category «Free Speech»

Concern for global democracy

Oxford University Press Blog: “A new report by the Democracy Project finds that a majority of Americans view democracy in the United States as weak and getting weaker. Even worse, nearly half of Americans express concerns that the United States is in “real danger of becoming a nondemocratic, authoritarian country.” Reports such as this one …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

A Legal Framework to Govern Online Political Expression by Public Servants

Clarke, Amanda and Piper, Benjamin, A Legal Framework to Govern Online Political Expression by Public Servants (May 14, 2018). Clarke, Amanda & Benjamin Piper. 2018. “A Legal Framework to Govern Online Political Expression by Public Servants”, Canadian Labour and Employment Law Journal, 21(1), 1-50. . Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3251375 “This paper considers the extent to …

Subjects: Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Social Media

The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker

“Journalists in the United States face hostility from local and federal governments, along with a number of legal threats to themselves and their sources. This nonpartisan website aims to be the first to provide reliable, easy-to-access information on the number of press freedom violations in the United States—from journalists facing charges to reporters stopped at …

Subjects: Censorship, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research

Deep Fakes: A Looming Challenge for Privacy, Democracy, and National Security

Chesney, Robert and Citron, Danielle Keats, Deep Fakes: A Looming Challenge for Privacy, Democracy, and National Security (July 14, 2018). 107 California Law Review (2019, Forthcoming); U of Texas Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 692; U of Maryland Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2018-21. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3213954 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3213954 “Harmful lies are nothing …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Defense, Free Speech, Internet, Legal Research

DataKind – Harnessing the power of data science in the service of humanity

DataKind…use data to not only make better decisions about what kind of movie we want to see, but what kind of world we want to see: “This is, without hyperbole, a historic time for humanity. Mobile phones, sensors, and new software have created an abundance of data that can be mined, understood, and harnessed to …

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Leaked Google presentation shows company grappling with censorship and free speech

The Verge: “A leaked research presentation [note – the Verge includes a link to the entire presentation posted on Scribd] put together by employees of Google shows the extent to which the search giant is grappling with decisions around freedom of speech and censorship. The presentation, leaked to Breitbart News this week and published in …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

How to Register to Vote: Deadlines for Each State

The New York Times: “Election Day is Nov. 6, but voter registration deadlines in many states are well before that. Deadlines have already passed in Alaska and Rhode Island. Many more are close. Here’s a list of each state’s voter registration deadline. The mail deadlines are when the applications should be postmarked, unless stated otherwise. …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Government Documents, Legal Research

Protecting Free Speech and Academic Freedom in Universities

Cram, Ian and Fenwick, Helen, Protecting Free Speech and Academic Freedom in Universities (September 2018). The Modern Law Review, Vol. 81, Issue 5, pp. 825-873, 2018. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3245459 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-2230.12366 “Restrictions on speaking events in universities have been created both by recent student‐led efforts at ‘no‐platforming’ and by Part 5 of the Counter‐terrorism …

Subjects: Education, Free Speech

AP – EU proposed to give internet firms 1 hour to remove extremist content

Via ABCNews.com: “European authorities are planning to slap internet companies like Google, Twitter and Facebook with big fines if they don’t take down extremist content within one hour. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in a speech Wednesday that the Commission is proposing the new rules as part of efforts to step up the bloc’s …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Internet, Privacy, Social Media

Securing the Vote Protecting American Democracy 2018

The National Academies of Sciences: “During the 2016 presidential election, America’s election infrastructure was targeted by actors sponsored by the Russian government. Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy examines the challenges arising out of the 2016 federal election, assesses current technology and standards for voting, and recommends steps that the federal government, state and local …

Subjects: Congress, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Privacy

The Role of Scholarly Communication in a Democratic Society

Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication (Vol. 6, No. 2): The Role of Scholarly Communication in a Democratic Society was published online today (August 31, 2018). “Why has the Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication produced this special issue on the role of scholarly communication and democracy? The pillars of a democratic society (equity, a …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Education, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

ADL Unveils First of-its-Kind Interactive Map Pinpointing Extremism and Hate Across U.S.

“ADL H.E.A.T. Map is the first-of-its-kind interactive and customizable map detailing extremist and anti-Semitic incidents around the nation. ADL experts in its Center on Extremism developed this unique visualization with data points extracted from information sources including news and media reports, government documents (including police reports), victim reports, extremist-related sources, Center on Extremism investigations and …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Legal Research